To build an AR or buy one

[BIGnTall83]

First a little background, I have only been into firearms for about a year, until last month I only had a .22 pistol and a .22 rifle. I have since added a 12g HD shotgun and a FNX-9 for my carry piece. I am interested in getting an AR in near (somewhat) future, is it possible to build one for less $$$ than you can buy one complete? Note my weekly disposable income is ~$20 give or take, so either way it will be a long time of saving until I can afford to buy one or can get all of the parts purchased. I think it would be interesting to build one myself but I would hate to have "wasted" money in building one when I could have saved some cash and bought one complete.

Any info will be appreciated.
Thanks guys!

 

[skulhedface]

palmettostatearmory.com With the daily deals you can build cheaper than buying. If cost is the only factor you might be able to get a used one for less though.

 

[Mgderf]

You'll get MANY different opinions on this question and the one thing to remember is,

they are ALL just someone elses opinion.

Take them all with a grain of salt.

Now, for my opinion.
Yes, you can build an AR15 a little cheaper than you can buy one whole, but this is a VERY general statement.
Several factors come into play.

Name brands,
some people swear by them (or at some) and other folks (like me) didn't really care what the "roll-mark" says. Some name brand parts will cost you triple of others.

Triggers;
When AR15's are concerned, this is one of the parts that could make hundreds of dollars of difference. Match-trigger=big bucks

Barrels,
Some barrel names are again,MUCH more than others, again affecting price.

The big question is,
what do you want to do with it?
If you just want a few hundred yard toy to play with, or even take coyote...then an el-cheapo, run-of-the-mill AR would fit your needs.
I've built one from brand new parts for as little as $575, but that was before Sandy Hook.

If you want to take national championships, you'd better start piling them bucks up.

 

[esrice]

I'm a fan of "buy your first, build the rest".

However, if you've got build $$ trickling in, building a piece at a time may be the way to go.

 

[BIGnTall83]

I guess I should have mentioned the purpose, it is just a few hundred yard toy. and something in case SHTF
So El-Cheapo would be the goal.

Thanks for the input guys!

 

[iamaclone45]

I also say, "Buy your first, build the rest". Keep in mind that you will need to feed that rifle and at a $20 / week disposable income you won't be able to feed it very often.

 

[BIGnTall83]

I also say, "Buy your first, build the rest". Keep in mind that you will need to feed that rifle and at a $20 / week disposable income you won't be able to feed it very often.

LOL, yes I am aware of that

 

[dhamby]

If you have a hard time saving money over long peroids of time I would suggest build. In all actuality my vote is still build. There is money to be saved regardless even with an cheap AR. Do your research and you will save money. If you do buy a complete rifle avoid the bushmaster carbon 15's. They may be cheap but are know for cracking.

 

[Mgderf]

I would avoid ALL polymer lowers, but that's just my opinion.

 

[hrearden]

palmettostatearmory.com With the daily deals you can build cheaper than buying. If cost is the only factor you might be able to get a used one for less though.

I would go this route. Buy something used for a decent price if you can find one cheaper than new. Buy it close to what you want and try some upgrades. Youll soon figure out what you do and dont care about. And, everybody is different on ARs. You may upgrade a few times until you find the combo that works for you. At that point, you may not want to get another. You may be happy with the one you have.

 

[Lep36]

Prices are dropping on ARs almost as quick as they went up. Stuff is changing daily and it kinda depends on what day you look at prices. Also, don't forget Black Friday is right around the corner. Check out Slickguns | Best deals on guns and ammo posted by users for the latest daily deals, there have been some good ones... Good luck either way you go.

 

[mvician]

We need a sticky thread on this topic since it comes up so often.

Research

Research

Plan

Some say build, it's cheaper. In a sense yes it is, but not if you are going to be able to put small amounts of money into each purchase. Shipping costs need to be thought of too. Many times it cost as much to pay shipping on a small item as it does to pay to ship a complete upper.

Save up to be able to make a major purchase to save on shipping.

Tools are going to be needed. Make sure you plan for that also.

All parts are not created equal. Avoid buying parts at gun shows that are not in factory packaging.
A lower parts kit in a "baggie" for $10 cheaper than a name brand in a package is no bargain.
There are a TON of parts being made in China, be careful. Buy from a dealer you trust.

Don't sell yourself short on your AR just to be able to hang "accessories" on it. I'd rather see someone with a limited budget put their money into better parts than to buy lessor quality parts so that they can hang cheap lights/lasers, grip pods, ect. on it.

Buy or build it's up to you, if you have the knowledge and patience, building from scratch can be a lot of fun.
Just remember to research before you buy. Buy once, cry once.

 

[SpaldingPM]

I just built an AR from PSA for $550. I'd build.

 

[ViperJock]

We need a sticky thread on this topic since it comes up so often.

Research

Research

Plan

Some say build, it's cheaper. In a sense yes it is, but not if you are going to be able to put small amounts of money into each purchase. Shipping costs need to be thought of too. Many times it cost as much to pay shipping on a small item as it does to pay to ship a complete upper.

Save up to be able to make a major purchase to save on shipping.

Tools are going to be needed. Make sure you plan for that also.

All parts are not created equal. Avoid buying parts at gun shows that are not in factory packaging.
A lower parts kit in a "baggie" for $10 cheaper than a name brand in a package is no bargain.
There are a TON of parts being made in China, be careful. Buy from a dealer you trust.

Don't sell yourself short on your AR just to be able to hang "accessories" on it. I'd rather see someone with a limited budget put their money into better parts than to buy lessor quality parts so that they can hang cheap lights/lasers, grip pods, ect. on it.

Buy or build it's up to you, if you have the knowledge and patience, building from scratch can be a lot of fun.
Just remember to research before you buy. Buy once, cry once.

More good advice from mvician. I totally agree with this. Other than the rifle all you need are sights. Next I'd get a solid light and then a sling. Then you are done. Anything after that is just for fun.

Ive seen the colt sporter around for $850. IMO that's the budget gun to get right now. I haven't seen anything in that range of that quality. Also, I think you would be hard pressed to spend much less than that on a build. Has anyone seen a better deal on a new rifle? Within the last month (pre panic doesn't count)

 

[ViperJock]

I just built an AR from PSA for $550. I'd build.

Huh. That's pretty good. I don't have experience with PSA. Did it come as a kit? Can you list links so folks can follow in your footsteps?

 

[mvician]

Huh. That's pretty good. I don't have experience with PSA. Did it come as a kit? Can you list links so folks can follow in your footsteps?

PSA 16" M4 CMV Rifle Kit

PSA Blemished Bullet-Pictogram Lower

 

[Small's]

Im with mvician on this one. I prefer the build it route with good parts. That way you get what you want. If you buy a complete upper the rest of it is very easy. PSA does have some good deals. Get on their email list and be patient. If you see something you like it will probably be on sale at some point. psa and spikes seem to be good bang for the buck. If you do use psa or similiar i would get their premium parts over the cheap stuff. Nothing wrong with buying a new gun either especially if your not planning on changing parts. the good part is you get to choose!

 

[kb66]

There are varying levels of "building" as well. You could install a stock and parts kit in a stripped lower receiver and buy a complete upper with minimal tool cost, it just takes a couple of punches and a $7 stock wrench to complete a stripped lower. When you build an upper from all parts, there are more tools involved. If you are not wanting specific upper parts for a custom combination and you are just wanting a "standard" upper to get started with, there is really no cost advantage to building the upper, just buy a complete upper, shoot it and have fun and upgrade parts as you want later.

I wouldn't rule out used rifles/parts. If you're patient and watch the classifieds here and other sites, you can find some really good buys. There are a lot of people who buy guns but are not hardcore shooters, they buy a rifle shoot it a few times and decide it is not for them. I once bought a Savage Model 11 in .243 from a guy for $200. He had shot 8 rounds through it and gave me the box with the remaining 12 rounds as well as a plastic hard case. Those deals are rare but they are out there.

As mentioned before, get on Palmetto State Armory's email list for their daily deals. They have some really good deals and for what you get for the price, they are hard to beat.

 

[ViperJock]

PSA 16" M4 CMV Rifle Kit

PSA Blemished Bullet-Pictogram Lower

On sale for <$500. Wow. Is this a good rifle? How would it compare to the colt sporter or a rock river? I have a buddy that wants to replace his Olympic arms which has been a thorn in his side. He is afraid of buying another "cheap" rifle.

 

[mvician]

On sale for <$500. Wow. Is this a good rifle? How would it compare to the colt sporter or a rock river? I have a buddy that wants to replace his Olympic arms which has been a thorn in his side. He is afraid of buying another "cheap" rifle.

I'd buy this before I would buy a DPMS, Bushmaster, or any of the other "optic ready" abortions. It's a good deal on a great rifle. Specs are good on it, although some people have complained about the trigger group. Heck if you don't like the trigger after you build it and shoot it for a while, buy an ALG ACT (about $60) and change it out.

I bought the upper that is in this kit a year and a half ago when they had them on sale. It's a good upper.
Eventually I ran across a deal on a PSA lower and built that up, now it is a complete PSA. It pulls duty as my HD rifle.
If I was looking to get into a good AR15 at a great price, this would be it.

Is that Trijicon SRS02 overkill on this rifle? Probably It costs about the same as putting the rifle together.